Skin Me, Trust Me
by NineStoicCrayolas
Summary: TokyoGhoul!AU. Sakura is a doctor living and working in Tokyo. She likes to play with children, likes to drink her coffee at that nice joint in town and likes to be around her slightly-overprotective friends. Sakura does not know the horrors of Ghouls.
1. Chapter 1

So I had an idea...

And I had to write it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

Sakura sipped on the warm cup of coffee between her hands. She closed her eyes and listened to the bustle of the city. The warmth from the afternoon sun warmed her face and she tilted her head backwards, her hair sliding over her shoulders.

She could hear the coffee machines spitting and churning coffee beans, how the waiters walked silently on the wooden floor every now and then asking the customers if they wanted any refills or cake to go with their drinks. She could hear the pedestrians walking outside, the thump of their footsteps creating a thrum of movement and the soft sounds of humanity.

It was her day off from the hospital and she was enjoying it thoroughly at her favorite café with one of her most loved books.

She opened her eyes and smiled at the waiter who passed by—a dark-haired, dark-eyed young man with a severe mouth—and leaned forward in her seat.

She was just about to pick up her novel and begin reading anew when the television crackled on and the static voice began speaking.

"…Ghoul attacks have been increasing in the past couple of months—please stay inside and stay safe everyone—around the city outskirts and we urge that anyone who has any information about them go to the police. That's it for today, folks, tomorrow we talk about…"

She frowned, taking another sip of warm, rich coffee before taking out her phone and noting down the districts. She knew that sometimes she would walk home on those streets so she would have to take the necessary precautions.

"Still listening to that mindless gruel, Sakura?" A familiar voice asked.

Sakura jumped at the closeness and then smiled as she saw Karin's red hair and Ino's sly smile. Grinning, she stood up and made space for them at the booth.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked, signaling for the waiter to come over and take her friends' orders.

Ino giggled and shrugged. "Come on, Pig, we thought we would visit you—you're hardly ever out of the hospital these days."

"Yeah, what she said and—ooh that man is _fine_." Karin exclaimed watching the waiter Sakura had seen earlier come closer to their table.

Sakura kicked her under the table. "Now, now Karin, I know about your man-eating tendencies but please refrain from picking up the waiter until I'm gone."

Karin wiggled her eyebrows and stuck out her tongue. "Why, want him for yourself?"

Ino scoffed and grabbed Sakura's coffee cup, taking a big slurp. "She's never ever inclined that she wants to have sex—or even has those urges—at all, what makes you think she'll start now?"

Karin's eyes widened and then she looked at Sakura sympathetically, "Oh honey. Cobwebs between your legs?"

Sakura flushed furiously and sent a glare towards Ino who smirked and took another sip of her coffee. "Shut up Pig. And Karin, I'll have you know that I did have a fun time with that lawyer last week."

Ino spat out a mouthful of coffee and Karin choked on her retort.

"Last week! Why didn't—"

"Forehead you finally hit puberty—"

"Shush girls, he was so _good_ with his tongue—Oh look the waiter's here." Sakura smiled innocently before turning towards the bored-looking waiter.

Karin sat up and adjusted her top, smiling beatifically, flashing perfect white teeth. "What do you have on the menu?"

The waiter scowled further and Sakura hid behind her novel, biting her lip to stop from laughing at Karin's surprised expression.

Ino giggled and tucked a lock of white-blonde hair behind her ear, batting her pretty blue eyes.

"It's a coffee shop, Ma'am, I'm sure your imagination can pick up it from there." The waiter replied, his imposing presence becoming more stifling.

Sakura watched as Karin's mouth slipped open into a small 'o' and Ino's surprised expression. She shook her head before putting her bookmark in her novel and glancing back at the waiter.

"Hi, do you think I could have another refill of coffee for myself? We'll have some herbal tea for the lady with the blonde hair and for the lady with the red; she'll have some tiramisu and a latte." Sakura smiled politely, ignoring the glare coming from Karin.

She would thank her later.

The waiter nodded and walked away and Sakura laughed a little when she saw the relived slump of his shoulders.

"Why did you order food for us? And tea? Really, Forehead, that's not classy." Ino asked, suddenly and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, we never eat out—you know it's too expensive for us college students." Karin butted in, flipping a strand of red hair behind her ear.

Red eyes tracked Sakura's movements, unknown to her, and Ino dug a fingernail into Karin's side.

Sakura sighed and tugged on her collared shirt, loosening up the top button. "Ino, I've already told you—your constant diets _are not healthy_ —and Karin, you guys never eat out except here. I've already gotten used to your guys' weirdness so I'm chalking it up to the fact that this café makes food and drinks to _die for._ "

"That's true." Ino said smiling happily, when the waiter came back carrying a tray of lemon tea.

A latte was placed in front of Karin's hands and the red-haired girl gave the man a simpering smile, which made Ino roll her eyes.

The dark-haired man refilled Sakura's coffee cup and the pink-haired woman smiled as she watched her friend flirt with the stoic—he seemed mostly annoyed—waiter.

A buzzing interrupted her thoughts and Sakura frowned when she saw Sasori's ID number light up her phone. Swiping a thumb across the screen she put the phone to her ear and angled her head to hear better.

"Sasori? Why are you calling? Is something wrong at work?" Sakura asked, oblivious to the way that the entire table tensed at the name.

The waiter's dark eyes darted towards the two girls across from Sakura and their eyes gleamed with something.

"Oh! I'll be right there. The key is under the flower pot, yes?" Sakura said, picking up her yellow coat and smiling apologetically to the two girls.

Slipping a banknote onto the table, she picked up her purse and novel with one hand.

"Sorry—Sasori's a bit worried about his exhibition and he thought of a new—okay! Jeez, baka-chan, I won't tell them anything about it. Anyways, I'll meet you guys later?" Sakura smiled before dashing out the door, her pink braid thumping on her back.

They watched her disappear in the masses of people, the familiar blue backpack and yellow coat slipping behind a corner, before Karin whirled on Ino and the waiter sat down in the booth, sipping at Sakura's unfinished cup of coffee.

"I didn't know she knew Sasori." Karin spat out, glaring at the blonde's tense shoulders. "And you didn't tell me either—how are we going to keep her safe if she's –"

"I know, Karin, I know. But have you ever tried telling that girl to do anything? It's like hitting your head against a wall—repeatedly and _enjoying_ it." Ino sighed and picked at her teabag.

"And with the god damned Akatsuki watching over her every move, she's only bound to get _more_ attention." Karin growled, slamming a fist on the table angrily.

The dark-haired man breathed out a sigh and sent a glance towards the masked man behind the counter. "You guys have to stop hovering over her. Sakura's already been getting a lot of attention from the Community lately and your constant surveillance isn't doing her any good. Itachi agrees with me and—"

"Okay, Bastard, how are we supposed to protect our childhood friend then?" Karin snarled and the dark-haired man rolled his eyes.

Dark eyes hardened and the man sighed, running a hand through black hair. "I don't know, Karin. But I know that Sasori has taken a liking to her."

Ino paled and he was quick to parry when she opened her mouth.

"Not like that Ino. He thinks she's very pretty, sweet, _human._ He likes how she is. As a person, not a meal." He said, taking a sip from the leftover coffee.

The liquid swirled in his mouth and he closed his eyes, enjoying the one human food that he could have.

"Well…we all know how Sasori is like with his people. He could get…bored." Karin winced and Ino hunched over.

"Why are they so interested in her, god damnit?" The blonde girl whispered, clutching the lemon tea between her cold hands.

"You know full well why." Karin said quietly. "We shouldn't have befriended her when we were little."

The three sighed and the table was full of tense, silence before the masked man behind the counter called for the waiter.

"I'm coming Kakashi-sensei." He shouted back, slipping out of the booth. "We can talk about this later, with everyone."

"Sure Sasuke. I'm heading to class, see you." Ino said, leaving the herbal tea on the table.

The girls slipped out of the café and Sasuke watched as the customers filed in during the four-o'clock rush.

"I hope they don't get themselves killed over a human."

* * *

Tell me how it was! I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking your time to read it :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tokyo Ghoul

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Sakura giggled as she watched Sasori pout. His red hair stuck up everywhere and his golden eyes tracked all over his canvas, hands holding his brush like a scalpel, ready to strike.

"Sasori, come on let's take a break. You've been at it for like four hours. The exhibition is in thirty minutes—"

Sasori turned annoyed eyes towards her and Sakura put her hands up, apologetic.

"Okay, okay, you're in your artist funk." She said, laughing when his eyes narrowed further.

"Little girl—"

"Busting out the nice nicknames, are we?"

"—go get your froot loops or something. I'm busy."

Sakura laughed and slid off the chair that she was sitting on. She made her way through the art gallery, passing Sasori's blonde-haired partner who gave her a friendly wave and reached the fridge.

Opening it, she frowned when she realized nothing was in it. "Sasori!"

A groan. "What is _it?_ "

"You've got nothing in your fridge, baka. How d'you even survive?"

"Through my art. It's my eternal sustenance."

Sakura rolled her eyes and closed the fridge door. "Should've foreseen that answer."

She checked her phone for any restaurants nearby and smiled gleefully when she realized there was a traditional restaurant around the corner. She slid down the corridor, giggling when her socks slipped on the wooden floor.

Spinning into the room where Sasori was working, she chucked herself on the short artist.

He stiffened under her touch and Sakura smiled brightly when he gave her a hard stare.

"You've got no food, Saso-chan. I'm getting takeout around the corner so what do you want? I'm thinking some tempura or do you want Udon?"

Sasori stiffened and Sakura took her arm off his shoulders, slipping on her yellow coat and red sneakers. She adjusted the purple scarf she got as a gift from Hinata and swiped a flyaway hair from her face.

"I'm not really hungry, Sakura. I ate a big lunch." Sasori said, focusing on how the red paint mixed with the yellow.

Sakura sighed and tugged on a lock of red hair. "Okay sure, I'll go ask Deidera if he's hungry and then I'll be off."

The artist mumbled something and Sakura smiled, knowing that Sasori was in his art funk and he wouldn't be snapping out of it soon.

Slipping down the hallway she peeked into the room where Deidera was setting up his own exhibition. Sneaking glances at the gigantic pieces of sculpted clay, she made her way through the maze of looming 3D pieces.

"Hey, it's Sakura right?" A voice said next to her ear and Sakura yelped.

Her hand came up to her chest and her breathing quickened when she found a bashful-looking Deidera smiling at her.

"Sorry about that…Sasori says I barely make sound when I walk." The blonde artist said apologetically, wiping off crusted clay from his hands.

"Um, well…anyways, I'm going to the local traditional restaurant and I was wondering if you wanted something? I'm getting tempura but Sasori said he already ate a big lunch—is there anything in particular you want or can I just get whatever?"

Deidera smiled and Sakura flushed a little—seriously, a person should not be that pretty—and waited for him to clean off his hands properly.

"I'm good Sakura. I ate just before you came actually." Deidera said and Sakura nodded.

"Okay well I'll just get extra servings just in case you both get hungry!" Sakura said, turning to leave the room.

Sliding down the hall in her sneakers, she opened the heavy front door and slipped off.

* * *

"Thank you for waiting, here is your order!" A young man with bright blue eyes and dark hair said, smiling politely.

Sakura nodded and tucked her phone in her pocket, picking up her order. "Thanks have a nice evening."

"You too miss!" The cashier called as she slipped out the door and disappeared into the street.

She pulled in her earphones, smiling as she pressed play on her favorite soundtrack, her feet shuffling to the beat. A stranger sent her an amused glance and she flushed a little before grinning brightly back.

She wasn't about to be ashamed for doing what she felt like doing.

The evening had turned cold, unlike the early afternoon sun, and the moon shone through heavy clouds, muted shades of white falling on elongated shadows.

A cool breeze went through her hair and Sakura shivered, tugging the purple knitted scarf closer to her neck and clutching the steaming bag of tempura closer to her. She tugged her yellow coat over her shoulders and then continued towards the secluded street where Sasori and Deidera were planning their exhibition.

She was just about to turn on the residential street when she heard a shuffle of feet.

Sakura turned, taking out her earphones, and frowned.

The street was barren of people and the only movement was a plastic bag ghosting away with the cool night breeze.

"Okay…well that was…weird." Sakura whispered to herself.

She scanned the street once more, checking for any injured animals or children, before her shoulders relaxed and she tugged her scarf closer to her neck.

Sakura turned and screamed at the top of her lungs as she saw the bleeding face about three inches from hers.

Stumbling backwards, tripping over the ends of her laces, she fell and sprawled across the cold pavement. Gravel stung her hands and her ankle throbbed as she realized she had gotten it stuck in the gutter.

Her scarf fluttered away from her neck, landing in a puddle of suspicious liquid that Sakura hadn't seen before, making the pink-haired woman curse.

The tempura—thankfully—hadn't taken any blow and it sat, perfectly warm, on her stomach.

Raising her eyes to the man with the broken nose (or so it looked like in the darkness) she smiled apologetically.

"Oh god…I'm so sorry, you scared me." Sakura panted, hoisting herself upwards, groaning when her ankle buckled under her weight. "Ugh, I must've twisted it or something."

The man continued to watch with blank brown eyes as she tried to get up. His fingers twitched she wiped away the blood from where the gravel had sunk through her skin.

Suddenly, a sort of crazed expression took over his features and his mouth twitched as she leaned against a nearby light pole. His eyes went wide, the pupils blowing outwards, completely overtaking the light brown of his irises and he lurched forward.

Sakura stiffened as freezing hands came in contact with her neck.

"Um, sir, I—"

"You smell…so good…is this why?" The man rasped, his throat working, as ice-cold fingertips stroked her throat.

Sakura was terrified. The guy seemed deranged enough to be put in a nuthouse and honestly—the way his pupils had blown out—she wouldn't be surprised if he had escaped from one of the facilities at the mental institution her hospital housed.

She had heard of several cannibals over there.

"I had a shower this morning, sir, and I—"

And then suddenly the man's mouth began to salivate. Sakura watched, horrified, as his fingers clenched around her pale neck and his mouth opened, breath hitting the hollow of her throat.

Sakura's hands came to rest at the man's elbows –just in case.

"Sir, may I ask you to—"

Her breath was taken away by the blackening of the whites of his eyes.

Cannibal or not, that was _not normal for humans._

Red irises with tiny pinpricked pupils came in contact with bright green. A spidery web of red spread from his eyes and ended at his temples. The thin strands of crimson glinted under the pale light of the moon and the flickering light pole.

"Oh my god." Sakura whispered as the man—thing?—in front of her smiled.

His grip became too tight and Sakura gasped as she felt the air being driven from her lungs. The man's eyes widened into crazy laughter as he slammed her against the wall of a nearby building.

She choked on her spit and cried out as his ragged nails dug hard enough to draw blood.

"You smell so _delicious._ I want to feast on your flesh, little girl. I want to savor the marrow from your bones, bathe in your entrails." His lips brushed against the shell of her ear and Sakura felt tears build up at the corner of her eyes. "Won't you let me, little one? I don't think they will mind—I don't know how they managed to hold themselves back…your scent is truly…extraordinary."

"Get…off…me!" She managed to screech through his hold.

Her hand shot out to his throat and she ripped at the skin, a strange smile stretching across her face as the tan skin parted under her manicured fingernails.

The man howled and his expression turned darker, the fingers at her throat tightening to a painful degree. He slammed a fist into her temple and Sakura felt wet, hot _something_ drip down her face.

Sakura felt her head going dizzy but she still kicked out the man's knees. At the sickening crack of bone, she grinned and thanked the lord for those Krav Maga lessons her father had made her take when she was fifteen.

She didn't let the man—thing—have a second opening and she slammed a knobby elbow into his face. Just to make sure he would stay down for longer, she shoved her fingers into his eyes—ignoring the horrible scream that escaped him.

His hands came off her throat and Sakura stumbled, hitting her head on the pavement hard, as she tripped over his outstretched leg.

She grunted in pain at the pain of her ankle and that awful cracking sound before she began dragging herself away from the deranged man.

As the man lay dazed in the street, choking on what seemed like blood and excess saliva, Sakura dug for her phone in her pocket.

Her fingers slipped on the screen, the blood making the phone hard to grasp, as she searched for the right number.

"Come on, come on." Sakura begged as she tried to hobble away. She already knew that her ankle was broken and she had a head wound—the spots in front of her eyes weren't supposed to be there—when she heard a slurping sound.

Sakura's mouth opened in silent horror as she watched the man's eye tissue begin to remold itself back together. His face and cheekbones were slathered with brain tissue and her own hands were wet with blood and gray sludge.

A dark chuckle escaped from his throat and Sakura edged further away, clutching her phone like a lifeline.

"You really think you can get away, sweet thing?" The man's voice was low and husky, unlike the mania from before. The blood seemed to flow backwards, and Sakura watched as the bloody, ripped tissue, put itself back into place.

"Y-You're not…" Sakura gasped. Her phone continued ringing in her ear and she desperately hoped that Sasori would pick up.

"I'm not human, little girl." The man smiled, a touch of insanity making it stretch wider, his gums gleaming in the low light. Saliva ran past his lips and his molars seemed to stretch, his canines sharpening into chiseled points.

Her fingers trembled as the man came closer.

"You know what my favorite part of this is?" The man walked closer and Sakura closed her eyes as she felt his footsteps vibrating against the cold floor.

 _Please,_ she begged, hearing the phone ringing in her ear, _please pick up._

Cool fingertips, slick with blood, touched her cheek. "My favorite part is when they stop screaming out. When I rip their vocal chords from their neck and they lie in silent agony, the blood bubbling up on their lips as they watch me feast on the stringy mess of their throat in their last moments. The dying grunting noises they make as they see me strip the skin from their bones."

Tears were running down her cheeks and emotions flitted through her chest—rage, fear, sorrow, strange exhilaration—crowded her lungs and harsh breaths escaped her lips.

"What noises will you make for me, little dove?" The man pressed the words to her skin and Sakura screamed as she felt sharp canines sink into her throat.

"Hello?" A voice came from the phone.

Sakura could have wept in relief.

"Sakura is that you?" Sasori asked, seemingly annoyed.

The man growled, grasping the side of her ear, raking the skin off her cheeks and Sakura screamed.

The phone clattered out of her reach and Sakura tried to scramble towards it, when the man's hands clenched around her broken ankle, making her grunt against the jarring impact.

Tears stung her cheeks and Sakura thrashed against his hold, choking back agonized screams as his fingers pressed harder against her bones.

"Good, my darling. Scream for me, little dove. I wanted to hear your noises as I strip the flesh from your bones." The man grinned over her, smiling gruesomely as he snapped her ankle in half.

Sakura screamed.

"Sakura? Sakura! Oh my god—"

"Sasori…Sasori…"She managed to whisper through the sobs wracking her chest.

"Call your lover's name all you like, he can't do anything against a ghoul." The man— _ghoul_ —chuckled over her and Sakura's eyes widened.

 _Ghoul…_

Sakura screamed as he sunk his teeth into her calf. She felt his canines rip through muscles and tissue and the wet blood slip down her legs. She could feel his fingers tightening on her broken-beyond-repair ankle, how he relished in her muffled grunts of agony. She could feel the blood leave her body as he bit through bone and muscle and cells and—

 _Oh god._

She was going to die.

"Sakura, I'm coming! I'm coming—where are you, where _are you!"_

Her hair fluttered over her forehead shut as blood stung her eyes. She cried as the man's teeth finally sunk into her hip.

"This is my favorite part of eating a woman…" He said—half crazed—his lips traversing the expanse of her hips, stomach and thighs. "You have such lovely centers."

Sakura's head made a wet thunk against the pavement as the man repositioned her closer to him.

Her eyes finally fluttered shut just as she felt his fingers dig into her and his head press down over her stomach.

She didn't hear frantic footsteps or the racing of sirens as her heart gave out.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading, I look forward to your reviews!

Ghost Girl


	3. Chapter 3

Hope you like it! Thank you for reading :)

* * *

Sakura woke to beeping machines and hushed whispers. Her heart thundered in her throat and she groaned, her fingers trying to smooth away cracked skin and oily hair.

There is a rush of movement and her eyes flutter open and then close again when the bright neon lights of the hospital burn her sclera and tears streak down her face.

"Sakura?" A hushed voice—so _loud_ in her ears—whispered next to her.

She can only groan and try to distract herself from the pulsing of her bones, the way that her fingers traverse her skin searching for the incisions of teeth, nails and spit.

"L-Light…" She managed to whisper through a clenched jaw. "T-The light…turn it…off."

"Oh. Oh! Yes." The voice—so familiar—said loudly, a shrieking noise burning against her eardrums as footsteps echoed across the room.

There is a flick and then—"Is that better?"

Sakura opens her eyes and her eyes keep burning. Her vision is blurry with tears and she can feel the way her throat closes up when she sees blonde hair and concerned blue eyes.

Ino's features look a lot like blobs but Sakura does her best to clear away the tears with trembling fingertips.

"H-How much of me…"She coughed and blood spattered across her chest. "…is gone?"

Ino shuffled and then the shrieking noise of metal on linoleum floor grates her ears again as Ino shifts back into the hospital chair. Sakura feels the vibration of her best friend's fingers on her cot and she closes her eyes.

Ino never drummed her fingers unless it was serious.

"Nothing, actually."

Sakura's heart stilled in her chest.

That's not possible because—

Because she _felt_ that man—ghoul—claw his way through her body, his teeth sinking into her hips, her calves, her legs, her neck. She felt him part through tissue and muscle, grasping at her cells and grinning against the river of blood flowing from her veins.

She _remembered_ his eyes. How they widened into crazed pools of crimson and midnight, matching the insanity at his lips.

"What?" She rasped, her arms struggling with the effort to sit up. "What do you mean—"

Ino looked away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, exposing her elegant throat and pale skin.

Something slithered up to her throat at the sight and Sakura looked away quickly.

"I think…I think you need to—"

The door opened suddenly and Sakura jumped with the force of the bang. A stout woman with amber eyes and blonde hair marched through the frame, a tight expression to her mouth.

"Sakura. What the hell happened?" Tsunade-sama asked and Sakura gasped as she fell backwards on the cot, her back aching with the way her arms twisted.

"Ghoul…" Sakura whispered and Tsunade's hands tighten against the charts she's holding.

Ino paled and a small gasp escaped her.

"Well then." Tsunade swallowed and stepped forward, pulling a low pigtail over her shoulder. "We'll just have to fix you up, won't we?"

Sakura had barely anytime to nod before the dark spots dancing at her vision thicken and her head lolled, unconscious.

* * *

Tell me what you all think (or don't?)


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